South Korea’s enterprise funding diplomacy is getting into a brand new part. Throughout a significant initiative in Riyadh, Korea Enterprise Funding Company (KVIC) shaped direct working channels with Saudi Arabia’s authorities, sovereign funds, and coverage establishments to co-develop three way partnership funding constructions. This step alerts how each nations are utilizing AI and deep-tech funding as strategic instruments to attach Asia’s innovation capital with the Center East’s rising financial transformation.
Korea and Saudi Arabia Align on Enterprise Funding Cooperation
On the Okay-World Star Meetup in Saudi Arabia held in Riyadh on February 8–9, Korea Enterprise Funding (KVIC) and 13 home enterprise capital corporations met with Saudi counterparts to deepen institutional collaboration within the enterprise funding sector.
The delegation included representatives from the Korea Enterprise Capital Affiliation (KVCA) and the Korea Angel Funding Affiliation, forming a unified public–non-public mission to increase Korea’s enterprise ecosystem engagement throughout the Center East.
KVIC confirmed that the discussions bolstered Korea–Saudi enterprise cooperation by means of direct conferences with the Ministry of Communications and Info Know-how (MCIT), Public Funding Fund (PIF), and affiliated organizations. Either side agreed to collectively design a Korea–Saudi enterprise ecosystem mannequin to advertise fund formation, co-investment applications, and long-term startup funding channels.
Increasing the Okay-World Star Program’s Attain
The Riyadh occasion was organized underneath Korea’s Okay-World Star Program, a cross-border initiative launched in 2023 to hyperlink Korean startups and buyers with worldwide capital. This system is managed by KVIC in collaboration with home VCs to draw international buyers, facilitate international growth, and combine abroad funding into Korean startup progress.
The discussions in Saudi Arabia targeted on transferring past pilot initiatives towards structured partnerships in fund administration and joint capital deployment. The 2 sides recognized the Nationwide Know-how Growth Program (NTDP) underneath MCIT because the central platform for implementing these collaborative initiatives. NTDP plans to considerably increase its international co-investment price range, creating new alternatives for Korean enterprise funds to take part in Center Jap funding pipelines.
Stakeholder Engagement and Institutional Discussions
In the course of the Riyadh conferences, KVIC management held in-depth talks with Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Communications and Info Know-how, Abdullah Al-Swaha, to stipulate a long-term framework for bilateral enterprise collaboration.
KVIC additionally met with JADA, the fund-of-funds administration agency established by the Public Funding Fund (PIF), to discover joint funding fashions. Extra conferences have been held with Saudi Enterprise Capital Firm (SVC)—a subsidiary of the Saudi SME Financial institution—and Riyadh Valley Firm, underneath King Saud College’s endowment fund, to debate doable capital participation in Korean VC funds and multi-year strategic cooperation.
On the innovation entrance, KVIC engaged Humain, PIF’s AI-specialized funding car, and Wa’ed Ventures, the enterprise arm of Saudi Aramco, to guage alternatives in AI and deep-tech funding co-funding. These dialogues mirrored Saudi Arabia’s rising deal with next-generation applied sciences because it diversifies its financial system underneath Imaginative and prescient 2030.
Lee Dae-hee, CEO of Korea Enterprise Funding, acknowledged,
“This assembly established the groundwork for Korean enterprise capital to collaborate instantly with the Saudi authorities and core funding establishments. Via ongoing engagement with MCIT and associated companies, we plan to increase Korea–Saudi enterprise funding cooperation in a extra structured and scalable means.”
Korea’s Strategic Growth into Center Jap Capital Networks
The Riyadh discussions underscore Korea’s deliberate technique to combine its enterprise ecosystem into Center Jap capital flows. For Saudi Arabia, cooperation with Korea affords entry to confirmed VC fashions and funding administration methods. As for South Korea, this initiative gives a brand new supply of progress capital and a bridge into one of many world’s fastest-transforming economies.
The deal with AI and deep-tech sectors aligns with each nations’ financial priorities. Korea’s startup scene has matured right into a hub for frontier expertise, whereas Saudi Arabia is channeling Imaginative and prescient 2030 investments towards digital infrastructure and AI functionality constructing.
By connecting these ecosystems by means of structured fund collaboration, either side can unlock co-investment alternatives that reach past nationwide borders—linking Korea’s expertise depth with the Gulf’s liquidity and long-term funding outlook.
This shift additionally illustrates a brand new type of “enterprise diplomacy,” the place innovation funding turns into a pillar of international coverage. It follows Korea’s broader transfer to institutionalize startup cooperation with international companions, much like earlier frameworks signed with Singapore, the UAE, and Israel.
Constructing a Cross-Border Capital Structure
The end result of the Riyadh conferences displays Korea’s transformation from an funding recipient right into a cross-border capital orchestrator. KVIC’s engagement with Saudi sovereign and institutional buyers may redefine the area’s enterprise map by embedding Korean deep-tech experience into Center Jap funding streams.
If absolutely carried out, the proposed collaboration may set up a brand new mannequin of Asia–MENA enterprise capital integration, advancing Korea’s ambition to function a bridge between superior innovation ecosystems and rising markets.
Key Takeaways on KVIC Korea – Saudi Arabia Collaboration 2026
- Occasion: Okay-World Star Meetup in Saudi Arabia, held February 8–9, 2026, in Riyadh.
- Organizers: Korea Enterprise Funding (KVIC), Korea Enterprise Capital Affiliation, and Korea Angel Funding Affiliation.
- Objective: Strengthen Korea–Saudi enterprise funding collaboration by means of fund co-creation and AI/deep-tech cooperation.
- Key Companions: MCIT, NTDP, PIF, JADA, SVC, Riyadh Valley Firm, Humain, Wa’ed Ventures.
- Strategic Objective: Construct structured funding linkages and a long-term capital cycle between Saudi funds and Korean VC/startup ecosystems.
- Broader Significance: Positions Korea as a enterprise capital bridge connecting Asia’s innovation base with the Center East’s increasing expertise financial system underneath Imaginative and prescient 2030.
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